Springfield man shoots himself in leg; faces firearms charges

SPRINGFIELD - Police responding to a report of shots fired discovered that a man shot himself in the leg when he went to put the gun in his pants.

Springfield Police Capt. Eugene C. Dexheimer said the call came in about 1:30 a.m. Saturday morning at Keith and Belmont streets.

Dexheimer said Vincent Banks, 19, of 154 Denver St., was arrested and charged with possession of a firearm without a license, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building, breaching the peace and having a high capacity device.

A 16-year-old male juvenile faces the same charges. Banks was the one who shot himself in the leg. He was brought to Baystate Medical Center for treatment and returned to police custody.

Dexheimer said people tried to flee the scene when officers arrived. He said there were numerous people around when the shooting started. A .40 caliber handgun was recovered with rounds in the magazine, Dexheimer said.